Covered for Fall 2024- Chanel

​Trend forecasting can be described as the sociology of aesthetics, examining past sociopolitical and cultural events to anticipate future forms of self-expression. As I shop for my clients and observe the world around me, I've noticed the following:

​Gen Z, also known as "Zoomers," are embracing a revival of the late 1990s and early 2000s through the Y2K aesthetic. This generation is rediscovering Aaliyah, iconic music videos, and the unmistakable low-rise jeans paired with mini purses. Baggy pants and oversized t-shirts evoke the style of brands like Rocawear and FUBU. Tommy Hilfiger’s Spring 2025 show, featuring a performance by Ghostface Killah, Method Man, and Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan, subtly nods to the roots of this aesthetic.
Thrifting and the circular economy are central to sourcing Y2K pieces, as authenticity is paramount to this generation.The Y2K era was a time of immense possibility, poised on the edge of a new millennium. It was a celebratory moment marked by economic progress, technological advancements, and the lingering anxiety surrounding computer system breakdowns. The era’s colors were bold, its textures high-contrast, and its music bass-heavy.

​Gen Z, however, longs for a time they never knew—a period before the rise of school shootings, online bullying, global pandemics, genocides, and the incessant noise of social media. A time when life seemed slower and less complicated.

Meanwhile, millennials, the world’s largest generation, find themselves caught between nostalgia and the hard realities of adulthood. Brands like Gap and J.Crew are reviving designs that evoke a familiar past. The eldest millennials, born in 1981, entered adulthood with optimism about the new millennium, but soon faced job losses, housing market crashes, bank bailouts, resurgent social racism, and wars by the time they reached their mid-thirties. In the U.S., every presidential election has been framed as "the most important of a generation," only to prove true as social progress made by Baby Boomers slowly eroded. Just like their parents, millennials are at the forefront of both progressive and regressive social movements, inheriting battles from previous generations. And now, they are dressing like them, too.

Celine and Miu Miu are channeling the spirit of 1967, while Chanel and Chloé pay homage to the post-1970s era when women gained the right to credit cards. The 1980s are alive once again, with millennials indulging in childhood nostalgia. Yet, power dressing, with sleek, tailored suits, is emerging as a form of armor—seen clearly at Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen.
In fact, we are witnessing a fusion of aesthetics from the oldest living generations. Millennials are donning the fashion and sounds of the pre-Y2K era, preparing for battle with 1980s-inspired armor, embracing the regressive optimism of the 1960s' French wave with high-contrast fabrics, or blending into the background with 1970s' commercial hippie vibes and detective-style accessories.

​Ultimately, this generation seeks escape, carrying with them what they perceive as the best of each bygone era.

Movement was the theme of 1967 

Four years into this decade, the world feels like it's been turned inside out. We've lived through a global pandemic, rising up for racial and social justice in the streets, the SAG-AFTRA labor strikes, devastating hurricanes, a grinding war in Eastern Europe, three ongoing genocides, an attempted coup in the U.S., and a seemingly endless parade of floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, heatwaves, wildfires, and cyclones. Anti-equity movements are gaining ground, and yet it feels like there's even more I'm missing.
 
The air is thick with fear. And fear? It breeds a scarcity of belief that turns to cruelty—narcissism, sexism, racism, all the ‘isms,’ dividing us into "me versus you," "us versus them." Domestic terrorism in the U.S. has surged by 357% since 2013, fed by virtual echo chambers where people marinate in their own distorted perceptions of "the other."
 
That red hat? It’s no longer just a hat. It’s a signal. *One of them.* Keep a close eye. A hateful Christian. A libtard. We throw labels around like ad slogans—because that’s what they are, born from marketing ploys that strip people of their humanity.
 
When we're not doomscrolling, we numb ourselves with CGI fantasies or songs that glorify escapism. 
 
“Y’all don’t want to hear me, you just want to dance,” said Andre 3000, and we’re still doing it—dancing ourselves into oblivion.
 
Meanwhile, the Earth is pushing back, burning, breaking, and flooding as its creatures cry out for balance. The world is tired of being ignored. And here we are, stuck idealizing some past or future that never truly existed, while the present screams for our attention.
 
The inhumanity of an uninhabitable Earth is no longer some distant dystopia—it’s unfolding right now.
 
But come with me for a moment. Let’s escape, not to fantasy but to 1967—a year drenched in transformation, a decade fueled by both conflict and hope. Let’s see what it has to teach us.

Black Women in State Senates,  An entire floor dedicated to Women travelers, Financial investing piqued via fashion

In the US, the birth control pill became legal for married women in 1965 (7 years later for everyone), and were encouraged to stay in hotels without the risk of reputation and safety. Not explicitly expressed, having a little cash  and social autonomy for herself was also encouraged via social selling and fundraising.  

Interracial marriage is legalized in the US, Hippies are born, and middle-class respectability is challenged by Black radicals 

Different fractions of society were forming as a rejection of war, segregation, and assimilation that centered on class and racial respectability aesthetics. 

Mad as hell and not taking it anymore. Protest and resistance were matched  with violence

We are still fighting the same fights led by the youth of this generation

 Voluminous fabrics, mini dresses and skirts, and crayon hues matched the anticipated possibilities and societal shifts

This era introduced shorter hemlines and sportswear, apparel to match a less formal lifestyle